Flexible Steel Lacing Company

Joseph C Vogrig

John H Winkelman

Edward C Musil

Gary E Mitas

David A Lotarski

William James Daniels

Gregory Lee Westphall

A collating system for rivets is provided that includes a rivet holder for supporting rivets in a predetermined pattern. In one form, the rivet holder includes a body having cavities for supporting the rivets therein. The rivet holder body includes a top plate member and a bottom plate member. The rivet holder has drive heads connected to the top plate member via frangible portions and the bottom plate member has retaining webs disposed below the drive heads. The top and bottom plates are secured together to capture heads of the rivets between the drive heads and retaining webs. The drive heads may be driven downward to drive the rivet heads from the rivet holder and into bores of a guide block with the retaining webs flexing to release the rivet head from the lower bottom plate member. A method of using the rivet collating system is also disclosed.

Collating system for conveyor belt rivets and method

A system for applying belt fasteners to belt ends is disclosed. The system includes a power tool apparatus and a guiding apparatus. The guide apparatus includes a guide block having guide bores in which attachment members, e.g., rivets, are held in position relative to the belt fasteners so that a drive rod of the power tool impacts the rivets in the guide block bores. The guide block preferably is of a hard material, e.g. a machined steel or powder steel, for proper guiding of the drive rod and rivet during riveting operations.

Power applicator system for conveyor belt fasteners

A rivet collating system is provided that includes a rivet holder for supporting rivets in a predetermined pattern. In one form, the rivet holder includes a unitary plate in which apertures are configured for supporting the rivets depending therefrom. In another form, the collating system includes a plate body and drive heads that are integrally connected via frangible portions to the plate body. Preferably, retaining webs are provided about the apertures to releasably hold the rivet heads therein. The drive heads are driven downward to sever the frangible portions with the webs flexing to release the rivet heads so that the rivets can be received in bores of a guide block of a belt fastener installation tool. A method of manufacture of the rivet holders is also disclosed.

Rivet collating system including rivet holder and method of forming the same

A fastener for splicing ends of conveyor belts together is provided having a rivet that is pre-inserted thereto to provide speed and ease in installation. The rivet is held in an aperture of the upper plate by an interference fit at the lower end thereof. Preferably, the interference fit is achieved by knurling of the lower end portion of the rivet shaft to create raised interference portions or ridges integral therewith that are sized to be in an interference fit in the upper plate aperture. The remainder of the shaft can be sized to provide clearance between it and the aperture. An applicator machine tool is also provided for automatically securing a strip of the pre-inserted rivet fasteners to a belt end in a fast and efficient manner. The tool uses operating members to first drive pilot nails through the belt lower surface into registry with the rivets, and thereafter the rivets are driven coordinated with the pilot nails that are withdrawn back through the belt. The pilot nails stop at a predetermined position and the rivets continue to be driven for forming the upset heads at the bottom of the rivet.

Pre-inserted rivet belt fastener and apparatus and method for application thereof

Conveyor belt fastener

A hinged fastener for splicing transverse ends of conveyor belts together with the belt fastener having teeth that are bent from one of the fastener plates for piercing and sinking into the belt to increase the holding power of the fastener. In the preferred form, the fastener is attached to the belt end with two rivets with the teeth being adjacent the rivets to provide a small, low cost, high performance fastener. The teeth are formed by bending them down from the outer edge of the plate and about a bend line parallel to the inner edge of the plate so that the teeth face the belt end to keep the teeth from being pulled through the belt material. The location of the teeth adjacent the rivets maximizes the depth of penetration of the teeth into the belt for improved fastener holding power and minimizes the likelihood that the teeth will be bent upward and lose holding power when the belt is highly tensioned.

Rivet-hinged belt fastener with teeth

A belt skiving apparatus and method in which a free-standing blade-carrying carriage is employed which does not require a guiding base. The carriage has a pair of rollers defining a nip into which a belt end to be skived is passed. The rollers press together about the belt end to securely grip the belt. One of the rollers is toothed to provide a non-slip engagement with the surface of the belt and at least one of the rollers is driven, preferably manually, through a crank arm. Rotation of the rollers advances the carriage relative to the belt to advance the carriage across the width of the belt. As the carriage is advanced, the belt is passed through the rollers and through a cutting blade disposed adjacent the rollers. As the carriage is advanced along the width of the belt, the blade slices a thin strip of the upper portion of the belt adjacent its upper face from the remainder of the belt. The thin strip that is removed is the portion of the belt that was punctured by the teeth of the driving roller. The carriage is preferably wheel mounted to roll across the width of the belt directly on a support surface, without the need for a guiding base.

Method and apparatus for skiving belt ends

A belt skiving apparatus is provided having a free-standing blade-carrying carriage mounting a pair of rollers defining a nip into which a belt end to be skived is passed. The rollers press together about the belt end to securely grip the belt, with at least one of the rollers being driven, preferably manually, through a crank arm. Rotation of the rollers advances the carriage relative to the belt to advance the carriage across the width of the belt. As the carriage is advanced, the belt is passed through the rollers and through a cutting blade disposed adjacent the rollers, with the blade slicing a thin strip of the upper portion of the belt adjacent its upper face from the remainder of the belt. The rollers may be driven by a ratchet arm to move the carriage along the belt end. Preferably, two pairs of rollers are employed on the carriage, one forward and one rearward of the blade to cut the uncut portion remaining at the trailing side of the belt after the belt passes through the forward roller pair. An adjustable fence can be employed for selective variability of the width of the cut from the belt. A quick-acting cam operated by a lever locks the adjustable fence in various positions for different widths of cuts.

Apparatus for skiving belt ends

Illustrated and described is a nailing gun conversion for use in driving and setting rivets to attach belt fasteners to conveyor belts and the like. The conversion involves a special nose piece and drive rod for the gun for cooperation with the modified head of a multiple pronged rivet driver used for the simultaneous driving and setting of a cluster of nail-pointed self-setting rivets maintained in position for assembly with the belt fasteners and belt by a fixture of known construction.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Joseph C Vogrig